Founded in 1905 by Abbot Kinney, who modeled the town after Venice, Italy with canals and all, this evocative beach city is constantly evolving with the times. Back in the day, the Red Car (a streetcar) used to bring people from all over L.A. to this beach town getaway, where movies were once promoted via carriages that cruised down the boardwalk and films White Men Can’t Jump, Monster-in-Law, Clean Slate, The Falcon and the Snowman and many others were shot on location.